Catch



0, was A. w. AHLGREN 3,269,763

CATCH Filed June 1, 1964 United States Patent Office 3,269,763 Patented August 30, 1966 3,269,763 CATCH Axel W. Ahlgren, Rockford, Ill., assignor to Amerock Corporation, Rockford, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Filed June 1, 1964, Ser. No. 371,683 4 Claims. (Cl. 292341.18)

This invention relates to a catch for holding a door closed against a frame and, more particularly, to a catch that may be formed as a one-piece plastic molding having a bottom wall, two spaced side walls projecting outwardly from the opposite edges of the bottom wall and provided with means for engaging a strike, and an opening in the bottom wall for receiving a screw or the like for securing the catch to a supporting member.

The general object of the present invention is to provide a simple, compact and sturdy one-piece catch capable of being mounted in a novel manner on the supporting member, securely, quickly and by means of a single screw.

Another object is to reduce the time required to mount the catch on the supporting member.

A further object is to form the catch in a novel mannor for increased resistance to rotation and rearward displacement of the catch in service use relative to the single fastener used.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken in a horizontal plane through a cabinet equipped with a catch embodying the novel features of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional View taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged bottom perspective view of the catch.

'FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective View of the catch and the coacting strike.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 1 with the parts in moved positions.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view similar to part of FIG. 1 with the parts in different positions.

As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the invention is embodied in a catch 10 for holding a door 11 releasably in a closed position across an open-ing in a cabinet frame 12. In this instance, the catch is mounted on the side surface 13 of an upright frame member 14 extending along one side of the opening, and is positioned for engagement with a strike 15 secured t the inner face -17 of the :door. As the door swings into the closed position as shown in FIG. 5, the strike swings toward the catch and into engagement with the catch to latch the door in the closed position.

As shown most clearly in FIGS. 3 and 4, the catch 10 is a unitary piece of molded plastic such as that known as Delrin and includes a bottom Wall 18 clamped against the supporting surface 13 by a screw 19 driven into the frame member 14 through an opening 20 in the bottom wall to bring the head 21 of the screw into overhanging, abutting engagement with the wall around the opening 20. Molded integrally with the bottom wall is a body portion of generally U-shaped cross-section including two spaced side walls 22 projecting outwardly from the side edges of the bottom wall on opposite sides of the screw opening. When the catch is mounted as shown herein, the bottom wall is vertical and the side walls project horizontally from the frame member 14 with the open front end of the catch generally parallel to the door. To complete the body, an arcuate crosspiece 23 integrally joins the rear edges of the side walls thereby forming the rear wall of the body.

The strike 15 is a generally U-shaped spring plate secured to the inner face 17 of the door by means of a screw 24 (FIGS. 1 and 2) driven into the door through a hole 25 (FIG. 4) in the straight central portion 27 of the plate and tightened against the latter to embed two lugs 28 on the back of the plate in the door. The opposite end portions of the plate project inwardly from the door and form resiliently flexible spring fingers 29 for receiving and gripping the catch body when the door is closed. In this instance, each side wall 22 is semi-cylindrical in shape and the spring fingers are arcuately curved to conform to the curvature of the outside surfaces 30 of the walls. 'Ihe free end portions 31 of the fingers are bent away from each other at 32 to diverge away from the crosspiece and facilitate smooth entry of the catch body into the strike.

As the door is closed, the diverging ends 31 engage the forward portions of the curved surfaces 30 which cam the fingers apart far enough to permit the body to pass between the bends 32. Then the fingers snap back toward each other and into gripping engagement with the body to hold the catch and the door in the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. As the door is pulled open, the rear portions of the surfaces 30 spread the fingers apart to release the catch body.

The present invention contemplates a simple, compact and sturdy one-piece catch 10 that is formed in a novel manner for rapid and secure mounting on the supporting member 14 by means of a single screw 19. To these ends, the opening 20 in the bottom wall 18 is an elongated slot having a closed front end 33 and opening rearwardly through the rear edge of the bottom wall and through an opening 34 in the rear wall 23 sized and positioned to admit the screw head 21 through the rear wall as the screw shank enters the slot.

With this arrangement, the screw 19 may be hammered into the supporting member 14, almost to its final position as shown in FIG. 6, before the catch 10 is placed in position thereby reducing the time and eifort required to drive the screw. Then the catch is placed in front of the projecting end of the screw with the opening 34 in front of the screw head, and is pushed rearwardly over the screw to slide the bottom wall 18 under the head and bring the front end 33 of the slot close to or against the screw shrank. In this condition, only a few turns of a screw driver inserted between the side walls are required to tighten the screw head against the bottom wall and clamp the latter against the support.

It will be seen that the rear wall 23 braces the side walls 22 in the relation shown in FIG. 4 and thus reinforces the weakened bottom wall v18 sufficiently to sustain the shocks resulting from abusive closing in service use. Such shocks are applied against the front edges of the side walls and tend not only to slide the catch 10 rearwardly along the support and against the screw shank but also to pivot the side walls about the screw shank and swing the rear edge portions of these walls together. The rear wall acts in compression to absorb these forces and thus prevents rupture of the bottom wall in front of the slot 20.

To hold the catch 10 in place on the supporting member 14 in service use, a plurality of elongated teeth 35 of V-shaped cross-section are formed on the underside of the bottom wall 18 to bite into the supporting member and anchor the catch securely to the supporting member. Herein, these teeth extend from side to side across the bottom wall to resist rearward displacement of the catch as well as angular displacement.

'It will be evident that the slot 20 is to be made wide enough to receive the screw shank but substantially narrower than the screw head 21 so that the latter overhangs the bottom wall 18 on both sides of the slot. The opening 34 in the rear Wall herein is rectangular and is wider than the width of the screw head and extends above the bottom wall 1 8 a distance at least slightly greater than the height of the head to pass over the latter as shown in FIG. 6. Of course, the distance the screw 19 initially is driven in is not critical so long as the underside of the head is spaced above the surface 13 a distance greater than the thickness of the bottom wall.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the catch 10 is simple and sturdy in construction and capable of latching the door 11 securely in the closed position. Moreover, it may be mounted in the usual manner, by inserting the screw 19 between the side walls 22 and through the slot with the catch in the desired position, and also by slipping the catch over the projecting end of a screw already hammered part Way into the supporting member 14. The apertured rear wall 23 braces the weakened bottom Wall 18 without interfering with the rapid installation of the catch, and the teeth on the bottom wall cooperate with the single fastener used to insure that the catch is anchored securely in place.

I claim as my invention:

1. A one-piece molded plastic catch comprising a bottom wall adapted to be positioned against a supporting member and having a slot therein closed at its front end and extending rearwardly toward and Opening through the rear edge of said bottom wall, an integral body of generally U-sh'aped cross-section having an open side opposite said bottom Wall, said body comprising two spaced generally parallel side walls joined to the edges of said bottom wall on opposite sides of said slot and an arcuate rear wall integrally joining the rear edges of said walls to reinforce the latter, means on said side Walls adjacent the front end of said catch for engaging a strike, said rear wall having an opening overlying and substantially wider than said slot and extending above the rear end of the latter to admit a headed fastener through said rear wall, and a plurality of elongated teeth on the underside of said bottom wall extending transversely of said slot to bite into said supporting member when said fastener is tightened against the opposite side of said bottom wall.

2. The combination of, a supporting member; a catch having a bottom wall disposed against said supporting member and formed with a slot therethrou gh closed at its front end and extending rearwardly toward and opening through the rear edge of said bottom wall, spaced side walls joined to and projecting outwardly from the edges of said bottom wall on opposite sides of said slot, means on said side walls adjacent the front end of said catch for engaging a strike, and a rear wall connecting the rear edges of said side walls to reinforce the latter and having an opening therein overlying and substantially wider than the rear end of said slot; and a screw having a head wider than said slot and abutting against the side of said bottom wall opposite said supporting member and a shank extending through said slot into said supporting member adjacent the closed end of the slot to clamp said bottom Wall against said supporting member, the opening in said rear wall being sized and positioned to admit said head through said rear wall as said catch is moved rearwardly along said supporting member to slide said bottom Wall under the head.

3. The combination defined in claim 2 further including a plurality of elongated teeth on the underside of said bottom wall embedded in said member to anchor said catch on said member.

4. In a catch mountable on a supporting member by means of a headed fastener, the combination of, a bottom wall adapted to be positioned against said member and having a slot therethrough closed at its front end and opening rearwardly through said bottom wall, side walls joined to and projecting outwardly from the edges of said bottom wall on opposite sides of said slot, means on said side walls adjacent the front end of said catch for engaging a strike, and a rear wall connecting the rear edges of said side walls to reinforce the latter and having an opening therein overlying the rear end of said slot and sized and positioned to admit the head of the fastener through said rear wall as said catch is moved rearwardly along said member to slide said bottom wall under said head.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 639,058 12/1899 Kimball 292-17 2,765,189 10/1956 Forssell 292-440 2,987,338 6/1961 Anderson 292251.5 3,038,747 6/1962 Rapata 29217 3,061,346 10/1962 Jorgensen.

FOREIGN PATENTS 822,541 10/ 1959 Great Britain. 945,209 12/1963 Great Britain.

EDWARD C. ALLEN, Primary Examiner.

I. R. MOSES, Assistant Examiner. 

4. IN A CATCH MOUNTABLE ON A SUPPORTING MEMBER BY MEANS OF A HEADED FASTENER, THE COMBINATION OF, A BOTTOM WALL ADAPTED TO BE POSITIONED AGAINST SAID MEMBER AND HAVING A SLOT THERETHROUGH CLOSED AT ITS FRONT END AND OPENING REARWARDLY THROUGH SAID BOTTOM WALL, SIDE WALLS JOINED TO AND PROJECTING OUTWARDLY FROM THE EDGES OF SAID BOTTOM WALL ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID SLOT, MEANS ON SAID SIDE WALLS ADJACENT THE FRONT END OF SAID CATCH FOR ENGAGING A STRIKE, AND A REAR WALL CONNECTING THE REAR EDGES OF SAID SIDE WALLS TO REINFORCE THE LATTER AND HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN OVERLYING THE REAR END OF SAID SLOT AND SIZED AND POSITIONED TO ADMIT THE HEAD OF THE FASTENER THROUGH SAID REAR WALL AS SAID CATCH IS MOVED REARWARDLY ALONG SAID MEMBER TO SLIDE SAID BOTTOM WALL UNDER SAID HEAD. 